Weather simulation is often associated with visual displays used for aircraft flight training. Such systems typically provide "out-the-window" cockpit displays of the terrain that would be seen during actual flight. In addition to terrain, an enhancement to flight training systems is the simulation of weather conditions as part of the out-the-window display. Other applications, such as weather reporting, might also use computer-generated weather displays.
In addition to providing visual displays of weather conditions, weather simulation can be used in other simulation systems. For example, a simulation of a structural design might include the effect of wind on the structure. Or, a simulation of flight instrumentation might include a display of the output of weather radar.
Most existing simulation systems use computer-generated weather data. However, U.S. Patent application Ser. No. 08/326601, entitled "Weather Simulation System", by Montag, et al, and assigned to Southwest Research Institute, describes the use of real-world weather data in a simulation system. Three-dimensional weather data is obtained from real-world sources such as that detected by radar or satellite instrumentation. This source data is processed so that it can be coordinated with simulation data of a simulation system. For example, in the case of a flight training system, the aircraft can be located in a scene that illustrates real-world weather conditions.